Interview with Austin Archer and Whit Hertford, by Jennifer Mustoe
I have been friends with Austin and Whit for many years, our association being through theater reviews. I admire their work and have a list of shows we’ve reviewed that feature these two talented gentlemen below.
This interview, however, is about their musical collaboration. Both men talked about their album, The Long Mountain, that their band, Natural History recorded with the help of Chris Bjornn, who started up Marmalade Music. The Long Mountain is the debut album for all three men. And it is a lovely piece of work.
My family and I gave it a listen as we were driving home from dinner the other night. The music is fine, very listenable, and has a sweetness and authenticity we all enjoyed. My favorite is Love Song and it remained lodged in my head, to my delight, for hours after we listened to it. I shared it with my music reviewer Christopher Takashima, who said: We’re in Trouble is lovely. The soft to loud dynamic, especially at the end was quite impressive.
In talking with Austin, he said, “Music is when I am at my most authentic, but also my most vulnerable. It’s a very personal form. Like stand up. It’s just you. If people don’t like it, they don’t like you.
“With theater or film, whether I’m acting, directing, or choreographing, it’s a role I play. My music is me.” When I asked him why he has added recording music to his already busy life in the Arts, he said, “I can’t seem to stop, music is my personal diary with songs. They exist to be heard. I have a lot of music I’ve produced this last year. Music is for fun.”
On The Long Mountain, Austin is responsible for vocals, acoustic guitar, and piano, plus the writing of the song in collaboration with Whit, who plays the drums (a vintage set he’s quite proud of for its provenance and its sound),
all percussion, and background vocals.
The friendship started when Austin attended Whit’s all female production of Romeo and Juliet called Houses. The play resonated with Austin, and soon, the two found they had a need to create music, just like they had the need to create theater.
I asked both men if they’d be interested in writing a musical and–no surprise–both have already started.
Both friends described the process of writing The Long Mountain very similarly, and it felt like I was talking to the same person, which was interesting, as our conversations were on separate phone calls, at different times of the day, and both men were in completely different locations. Whit said of Austin: there is care and fireworks, and our first band practice was just the snare drum and acoustic guitar. What came about–quickly–was very earthy and rustic. It was the “Ultimate symbiotic creation”. Both men are uber romantic, which comes through in their song writing. Both are disgustingly dramatic, get outraged, incredulous, and everything is at a Level 10.
The players for Natural History ask this: If you like what you hear you can help us out in a big way by posting about the release and tagging us on Instagram and/or Facebook under the handle @nat_history_music or with the hashtag #longmountainep.
Here is where you can find The Long Mountain:
Bandcamp: Naturalhistorymusic.bandcamp.com
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-long-mountain-ep/1453894536
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5MVdVPnZI8rb0kWuhBEHJ8?si=NXRX6JNUSoCcx5aJPZnUPw
Whit Hertford
Anatomy of Arithmetic
Mopey Wrecks (female reviewer)Mopey Wrecks (male reviewer)
Houses
Enemy of the People
Austin Archer
Good Standing
Green Day’s American Idiot
Marty Has Cancer h
Jump
Hir
Newsies
In the Heights
in(Divisible)
[title of show]
The 25th Annual Putnam County SPELLING BEE
The Color Purple (pre-opening review)
35MM
Rent
Assassins
Saturday’s Voyeur
Whit Hertford and Austin Archer
The Aliens/Anatomy of Arithmetic
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